


Objects in the Rearview Mirror(May Appear Closer Than They Are)

by Bloody-Medic (khan_noonien_singh)



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Other, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-21
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-09-18 14:23:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9389024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khan_noonien_singh/pseuds/Bloody-Medic





	

"You know I'm from Savannah..." Ellis murmured, frowning as he looked out the window of the pickup truck. Nick definitely hated this beginning, it was probably the start to another ridiculous Keith story, but something about Ellis's tone made him hold his tongue about it. "Now, I know you ain't too fond of my stories of Keith, but there's a reason I tell 'em." He picked at the peeling paint that was on the truck door as he spoke with a distant look on his face. "I ain't gonna pretend to know if you lost anyone important, or if ya know how much it hurts, but I tell them stories because at least I can pretend he's still around that way... I can pretend I'll get to see him again."  
  
"See, we grew up in a more rural area of Savannah. The skies were beautiful, blue an' pure, and the fields were full of green grass, it was a sight to behold, especially durin' sunrise." Ellis smiled sadly, reaching to touch the brim of his hat. "When we was growin' up, we were as close as any brothers ya ever knew. It always seemed like summer, even durin' school. Coulda just been the Savannah weather, I guess..." He frowned. "We were ready fer any adventures the future would throw at us, and we wanted 'em all. We wanted to do all sorts of stuff."  
  
Ellis closed his eyes against the tears that were threatening to fall. "There was so much we wanted to do, so much we'd dreamed of doin', and we had so much time to do it... On his eighteenth birthday, I got him a broken-down pickup and we fixed it up together." He laughed, though it came out as more of a choked sob. "He loved that old thing. We'd go drivin' in it every chance we could. The one time I wasn't with him... He..." Ellis pulled his hat off, shaking his head. "I heard about it from my ma... my pa went and got drunk that night... but my ma said Keith had been in an accident... Some guy slammed into the side of the truck, both of the vehicles went up in flames... He was eighteen, no one should die that young..."  
  
"We used to race on the back roads, we got in a lot of trouble, but we got around... all the girls loved Keith's recklessness, and since I guess I was kind of his wingman, I got my share of action too." Ellis laughed a bit again, while the tears dripped slowly from his eyes. "Sometimes, I think I see him... but then, it just turns out to be a zombie that looks kinda like him."  
  
"Sometimes, I think he's right behind me and gainin' ground... but it was long ago and far away from here... God, it seems so damn far away, where he's buried..." He clasped the hat to his chest with a sad smile on his face. "Ya know, I've heard life's just a highway... and if that's true, the soul's just a car or truck. And memories are just objects in the rearview mirror that appear closer than they really are..."  
  
To this point, Nick had been silent, listening in horrified fascination to a story that would've scarred him for life, had he been in Ellis's position. "Damn... I'm sorry, El..." he muttered, not looking over only because he was driving. "I had no idea about Keith."  
  
Ellis shrugged. "I've been through worse since then... Since the accident, my pa blamed me. Every night, he'd go out and get drunk, then come back and cuss out everyone in the room. He was drunk, defeated... dangerous to be around. He felt he failed Keith, even though he weren't really my brother." Ellis looked down at the gravel of the road they were on, frowning. "He was so cold to me, to ma... Colder than winter, I'd say."  
  
"There was nowhere to go when he got mad, and his eyes... They were blank when he hit me... over and over again..." Ellis shuddered, wanting to forget. "I still believe he never would'a let me leave... I had to run away from home then... It was terrifyin', bein' on my own... but all the years I'd spent there were wasted before my life became my own." A shuddering breath, then he continued. "Even though it's been so long, I still have nightmares about it... I'll hear him tellin' me I'm worthless and stuff, and it's like he's tryin' to pull me back there... I really hope he became a zombie so I can kill him myself."  
  
He shook his head. "Soon as I left that place, my life got better. Met this girl, Julie, who lived on the edge of town. She was the best thing that ever happened to me. She had one of them convertibles, real nice, and she liked to race. She always put the top up and the hammer down." A small grin flickered across Ellis's face as he remembered. "She taught me everythin' I know about real love. The last night before she disappeared, the stars shone an' the moon was real bright... I was in the backseat with Julie like I was her Romeo or somethin'. We did everythin' we could think of when we were together... It was like salvation every night. The upholstery of my truck got torn up on several occasions, but I didn't care. Everythin' we tried just felt right, y'know? I was still hurtin' from Keith's death when we met, an' she was like a bandage on my broken heart. I ain't got no clue where she is now, and I probably ain't gonna know... but I hope she's alright." He sighed, looking up at the roof of the truck. Nick pulled onto the side of the road, frowning. He'd never have been able to guess what Ellis had been through, but it was rough on the kid, that was for sure.


End file.
